For FASS Research Students Conference

1. Exploring the development of secondary school students’ independent learning skills. Prue Salter PhD Candidate FASS My Background: I run an educational consultancy business for secondary students where I run seminars to help students develop effective study skills. I also write resources and worksheets for teachers to use and run and online study skills handbook website that schools subscribe to. Why a PhD?My business is based on experience, instinct and anecdotal research. I would like to research this topic from a rigorous academic perspective and develop a sound theoretical approach for an online solution to develop independent learning skills for secondary students. This research will lead to identifying the gap between the skills perceived to be important and the skills that are being developed and look at the development of a supporting online space. Aim of Poster Session: To receive feedback on my first thoughts about data collection/methodology. Contacts:Ph 0416 293 087 Email info@enhanced-learning.net Research wiki http://pruesalter.wikispaces.com

3. teachers?

5. To collect the data in each school: PLAN FOR A DAY IN THE SCHOOL: Through initial phone/email discussions with contact person in each school, determine who in the school are the most likely people to know what the school does to help develop students’ independent learning skills. INTERVIEW INDIVIDUAL STAFF: Spend a day in each school having set up 15 minute interviews throughout the day with people in the school . Starting at a top down approach will interview firstly different levels of executives in the school, through to support staff and teachers to gather information on what this school does. Every school has a different structure and different people responsible for developing these skills. May need to clarify with follow-up phone calls or emails depending on how the interviews through the day go. Notes will be taken on each interview. WEB FORM STAFF: As not everyone can be interviewed, also have a web form where an email is sent to all teachers asking that if they also do things to help students develop independent learning skills please go to this web address and let us know about it. INTERVIEW STUDENT GROUP: Also set up a 40 minute lunch meeting to take place during that day of a group of 12 students across the year levels and of differing academic abilities. Teachers will have asked for volunteers in advance and also selected students from those volunteers to get a range of students. Will provide a ‘pizza lunch’ as an incentive to volunteer. Students will discuss what skills they think are important, how they think students develop these skills and if they personally have developed independent learning skills. WEB FORM STUDENTS: Also allow students to share through a web form how they have developed independent learning skills. time management : organisational skills : note-makiing : managing workload : dealing with distractions: summarising ____________________________________________________________________________________________________research skills : test-taking skills : active studying : exam blocks : goal setting : groupwork skills : writing skills: test review ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________asking for help: research skills : test-taking skills : active studying : exam blocks : developing motivation : goal setting : groupwork skills : writing skills: post-test review

6. time management : note-making : organisational skills : home study environment : managing workload : dealing with distractions: summarising : overcoming procrastination PART 2: What design principles or approaches could guide the development of an online learning environment to facilitate and support the development of these skills? time management : organisational skills : note-makiing : managing workload : dealing with distractions: summarising ____________________________________________________________________________________________________research skills : test-taking skills : active studying : exam blocks : goal setting : groupwork skills : writing skills: test review DIGITAL GENERATION: What are the characteristics of these digital generation learners (can they be stereotyped in this way)? DESIGN PRINCIPLES: Given these learner characteristics and the particular skill sets identified, what design principles guide the development of the design online spaces for the development of independent learning skills (including a blended approach eg an integrated program where the skills are contextualised around assessible material with teacher input to help guide/support students to reflect on their technological learning experience)? ONLINE SPACE CHARACTERISTICS: What are the characteristics of an online space that supports independent learning skill development when design is informed by both stakeholders involved in an iterative design process and a theoretical component?

8. The data gathered in part 1 about how students develop independent learning skills and what schools do to facilitate this development will be used as stimulus material in part 2.

9. The approach will be a design-based methodology with focus groups.

10. From the 20 schools 3 will be selected to move to part 2 stage of data collection.

11. Each school will have a team of 6 people consisting of students, a teachers, and possibly even a parent working in parallel on the same design outcome. At the end will bring all 3 focus groups together to brainstorm a final design that incorporates the best ideas developed by all 3 groups.- This data collection stage is anticipated to take 1 year. Each group will be met with twice over each term (8 f2f meetings in total for the year) with a wiki set up for each group where ideas can be shared and developed between meetings.

12. MEETINGS WITH FOCUS GROUPS: The first meeting will a briefing of the data collected in part 1 and the theoretical framework for design based on the findings from the literature review on online learning principles. Ideas brainstormed for the first solution. Testing of first solution and discussion on data obtained. Ideas developed for second iteration of solution. Testing of second solution and discussion on data obtained. All 3 groups together to discuss their solutions, what they have learnt, look for commonality and brainstorm ideas for a joint solution. Testing of joint solution and discussion on data obtained. Brainstorm ideas for final changes and evaluation of process. time management : organisational skills : note-makiing : managing workload : dealing with distractions: summarising ____________________________________________________________________________________________________research skills : test-taking skills : active studying : exam blocks : goal setting : groupwork skills : writing skills: test review ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________asking for help: research skills : test-taking skills : active studying : exam blocks : developing motivation : goal setting : groupwork skills : writing skills: post-test review